Re: Tipping

Unklescott, and anyone else who may know...do you know if more restaurants are doing this?

There's a new small mom and pop owned restaurant that opened by us. They have a really nice lunch buffet, and I'm usually not a buffet person. It only costs about $18 for 2 people...so the husband and I usually leave a $5 tip because we figure the poor servers probably don't get tips from most people at a buffet. They only have the buffet at lunch. At dinner, it's a la carte from a menu with the server bringing you everything etc.

Our friends went to eat dinner there (where you order off the menu), and it was just the two of them. They noticed that the bill seemed awfully high. When they checked, they saw that 18% gratuity was already added onto the bill. I've heard of that for parties ot 6 or more, but for parties of two? My friend was so ticked off that they have vowed not to return there anymore, 'cause no one could there could tell them why they didn't have the option of leaving whatever tip they felt the server deserved.

Let me just add that our friends are former chefs and servers, so they always tip well, having been in the business and knowing how hard it can be to make a living as a server. They never tip below 20%, usually more. The irony is that if the restaurant hadn't added on the 18% tip, the server would've gotten more from them.

Anyhow, just checking to see if this is a trend... I can understand why restaurants would want a guarantee for a large group, but it doesn't seem right forcing a small group of 2 to leave a certain amount against their will. At that point, isn't it just part of the bill, like the entree they've ordered?

Re: Tipping

Hmmm - My uncle and I go out for lunch or dinner every Saturday and are notorious for leaving very good tips. I have never heard of such a thing, however I can tell you if that happened to us, we would get the manager right away and demand it be taken off, so we could do our own tip. I have never heard of less than party of 6 having tips added.

Re: Tipping

I've never been a server or bartender, but I've had many friends and relatives who've paid their way through school this way. I always tip about 20-25%. I'm a big fan of eating out, and I've only had one waitress that I felt didn't deserve any tip at all. I don't know if she was just always rude, or just having a bad day, but she was just awful. She actually rolled her eyes at me when I was asking for another drink. I didn't ask to speak with the manager, I was in a hurry to get to movies, but I wish I would have. And I only left her a 10% tip.

But I think that having one crappy waitress in 30+ years of going to restaurants, justifies my 20-25% tipping system.

Re: Tipping

I have never seen an automatic gratuity added to a bill for a party of 2. Sometimes it is added on for larger parties, but frankly, I resent that too.

A gratuity is an acknowledgement and thanks for good service, and is customarily between 15 and 20 percent. For good service, what we've become accustomed to doing with a larger party at lunch, is to tip 20% and for superior service we each put in an extra dollar and if one of us was a particular picky pain, that person will put in 2 extra dollars. So for a $60 check, for 6 people, the server could be getting as much as a $20 tip. Not bad for doing a good job ... but a forced gratuity would have gotten them the "required" percentage, a comment to the management, and nothing more.

Re: Tipping

I also disagree with automatic gratuities. We don't do it. In defense of it however, you can add more of a tip if you think the servers deserve more.

Have any of you ever seen Fannie Flagg's "Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook"?
She has many little stories and commentaries on Southern cooking and culture throughout the cookbook. After my father passed away when I was in the fourth grade, my mom raised 5 kids on $25 a week plus tips. This particular passage really hits home for me. RIP Sue Ann.

Waitresses are the unsung heroines of the world: They all deserve a medal and certainly a bigger tip.

Was there ever a group of of people who worked harder for less pay than the waitress? They show up day after day, rain or shine, to serve you with a smile. Most have been working an hour before you even get in the door, and they still smile. Husband may be a drunk or gone, oldest kid may be in jail, youngest kid may need glasses, but you would never know it by the smile. “Hi hon, what are you gonna have today?” For sheer physical endurance, running on their feet in the café’s marathon, carrying heavy trays all day…the spoiled prima donna football and basketball players who rake in millions to play during one season would be hard pressed to keep up with them. And unlike those guys, these gals work well past their prime. Women who are in their sixties and seventies are still out there slinging hash with no fancy retirement plan or bonuses: they just go until they drop. They may hurt, their feet may be killing them, or they may be worried to death over something, but they still make you feel welcome, will always steer you towards what’s good today, or save you a piece of the pie they know you like. I can’t say enough about waitresses. I have known so many, and I thank you all for your service throughout the years. So whether your waitress is called Thelma, Earline, Neva Jane, or Dot, don’t forget that tip. They’ll appreciate it.

Re: Tipping

Originally Posted by Unklescott;2712865;

I also disagree with automatic gratuities. We don't do it. In defense of it however, you can add more of a tip if you think the servers deserve more.

Have any of you ever seen Fannie Flagg's "Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook"?
She has many little stories and commentaries on Southern cooking and culture throughout the cookbook. After my father passed away when I was in the fourth grade, my mom raised 5 kids on $25 a week plus tips. This particular passage really hits home for me. RIP Sue Ann.

Waitresses are the unsung heroines of the world: They all deserve a medal and certainly a bigger tip.

Was there ever a group of of people who worked harder for less pay than the waitress? They show up day after day, rain or shine, to serve you with a smile. Most have been working an hour before you even get in the door, and they still smile. Husband may be a drunk or gone, oldest kid may be in jail, youngest kid may need glasses, but you would never know it by the smile. “Hi hon, what are you gonna have today?” For sheer physical endurance, running on their feet in the café’s marathon, carrying heavy trays all day…the spoiled prima donna football and basketball players who rake in millions to play during one season would be hard pressed to keep up with them. And unlike those guys, these gals work well past their prime. Women who are in their sixties and seventies are still out there slinging hash with no fancy retirement plan or bonuses: they just go until they drop. They may hurt, their feet may be killing them, or they may be worried to death over something, but they still make you feel welcome, will always steer you towards what’s good today, or save you a piece of the pie they know you like. I can’t say enough about waitresses. I have known so many, and I thank you all for your service throughout the years. So whether your waitress is called Thelma, Earline, Neva Jane, or Dot, don’t forget that tip. They’ll appreciate it.

Awwww. That's nice. I may copy that passage and send it ( or hand it ) to some of my "less generous" acquaintances. I have found that people who have worked in a service industry that relies on tips as part of their wages are the most considerate and generous when tipping.

What does bug me sometimes is the over-tipping at bars. Leaving change from a $10 for a drink or a $20 for two drinks ... every time ... seems excessive and is usually for attention, to show-off or to impress an attractive bar-tender or server and has nothing to do with the service.

Re: Tipping

Originally Posted by Unklescott;2712865;

Have any of you ever seen Fannie Flagg's "Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook"?

I grew up about 10 minutes from the Whistle Stop Cafe. It's actually called the Irondale Cafe and has wonderful Southern food. My parents still eat there at least once a week. They have several other cookbooks available, but it's much more fun just to go there and eat!